The problem is a great many of them now are paid next to nothing and with recent developments in the industry expected to take on more and more of the work and costs themselves as publishers cut back on promotion and editing services. And it terms of labor, publishing is an industry that stands on the backs of unpaid interns and underpaid workers (as with the recent Harper Collins strikes). Academic publishing is even worse, with authors also seeing little to nothing (and in some cases having to pay) and books costing more than $50 (and often times above $100) when many of them have also started using print on demand.

So the real question is, are writers getting paid now?

Well, a minuscule number make Stephen King money, a handful make a full-time living, and the vast majority, at most, make pocket money and have full-time work in other areas, all while the publishing industry hoovers up more and more rights.

$5.25 per month for a typical U.S. household, or an 0.1% income tax basis (say, rolled into your broadband access fee), would provide compensation equal to all current book sales, and avoid both the deadweight losses of information access denial of the present system as well as the Federal Crime of Giving People Books.

<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33647625>

Criminalisation of digital distribution was only legislated in 2008 (again in the U.S.):

<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33643398>

Writers will get paid just like internet influencers are getting funded by fans and sponsorships. I agree it's an emerging business model, but worth giving more thought.

By buying their books! The books on internet archive have been purchased by or donated to the library, the same way all libraries work across the US. Books are lent using the same 1:1 owned to loaned ratios. Open library is a catalog and publicizes info about authors and promotes their works, irrespective of whether or not lendable titles are available.

- mek (open library team)

Your question... it's as though someone showed you a gallery of photos of buildings and you would ask how the architects and construction workers get paid.